Date Published / Released

9 results for your search

With Holly Near's Redwood label having gone bust, putting all her early albums out of print, Appleseed culls tracks from two of her 1980s releases, Watch Out! and Sky Dances, and adds the version of Pete Seeger's "Quiet Early Morning" from its 1998 Seeger tribute, Where Have All the Flowers Gone, to construct this...

With Holly Near's Redwood label having gone bust, putting all her early albums out of print, Appleseed culls tracks from two of her 1980s releases, Watch Out! and Sky Dances, and adds the version of Pete Seeger's "Quiet Early Morning" from its 1998 Seeger tribute, Where Have All the Flowers Gone, to construct this compilation. Near adds a sleeve note under the word "context," pointing out that most of the songs derive from the {%Reagan} era and r...With Holly Near's Redwood label having gone bust, putting all her early albums out of print, Appleseed culls tracks from two of her 1980s releases, Watch Out! and Sky Dances, and adds the version of Pete Seeger's "Quiet Early Morning" from its 1998 Seeger tribute, Where Have All the Flowers Gone, to construct this compilation. Near adds a sleeve note under the word "context," pointing out that most of the songs derive from the {%Reagan} era and represent early warnings for political storms that are here today. The compilation doesn't do any favors for Watch Out!, which was a timely collection of topical songwriting set to a folk/bluegrass/acoustic new age musical palette contributed by the likes of John McCutcheon, Barbara Higbie, Michael Manring, Darol Anger, and others. But Sky Dances marked the beginning of Near's apparent writing block, and excerpting her own compositions from an album largely made up of cover tunes, while dropping some of the lesser tracks from Watch Out! makes for a stronger collection than either album separately. Near fans, of course, will want the original albums, but they're hard to find, and this is a reasonable selection from them. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
Show more
Show less

Topical folk like this ruled FM radio in the late '60s and early '70s, but today, Pat Humphries' odes to racial and sexual freedom and union organizing can sound pretty anachronistic. That's not to say there aren't some excellent songs on this CD, which features a preponderance of lilting originals, plus covers fr...

Topical folk like this ruled FM radio in the late '60s and early '70s, but today, Pat Humphries' odes to racial and sexual freedom and union organizing can sound pretty anachronistic. That's not to say there aren't some excellent songs on this CD, which features a preponderance of lilting originals, plus covers from the likes of Tom Pacheco, Mimi Farina, and Phil Ochs (whose previously unrecorded pro-labor anthem "Hands" opens the disc). Like suc...Topical folk like this ruled FM radio in the late '60s and early '70s, but today, Pat Humphries' odes to racial and sexual freedom and union organizing can sound pretty anachronistic. That's not to say there aren't some excellent songs on this CD, which features a preponderance of lilting originals, plus covers from the likes of Tom Pacheco, Mimi Farina, and Phil Ochs (whose previously unrecorded pro-labor anthem "Hands" opens the disc). Like such artists as Joan Baez, though, Humphries can come across as humorless and a bit preachy at times. This good album would have been better with a few light touches -- and a few less platitudes about freedom, justice, and love. ~ Jeff Burger, All Music Guide
Show more
Show less

In 1984, Holly Near and Ronnie Gilbert released Lifeline, a collection of live recordings captured at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. The eight shows between April 28-31 would serve as a comeback for Gilbert (who had been part of the Weavers) and a chance for two politically committed women to join...

In 1984, Holly Near and Ronnie Gilbert released Lifeline, a collection of live recordings captured at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. The eight shows between April 28-31 would serve as a comeback for Gilbert (who had been part of the Weavers) and a chance for two politically committed women to join forces. In 2002, Near revisited the tapes to produce Lifeline Extended, a two-disc set that adds songs, banter, and crowd response to...In 1984, Holly Near and Ronnie Gilbert released Lifeline, a collection of live recordings captured at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. The eight shows between April 28-31 would serve as a comeback for Gilbert (who had been part of the Weavers) and a chance for two politically committed women to join forces. In 2002, Near revisited the tapes to produce Lifeline Extended, a two-disc set that adds songs, banter, and crowd response to the original. Near wanted to capture the richness of these live performances, and in this purpose she was more than successful. Indeed, the expansion of the set only reinforces the first album's strengths. First, Near and Gilbert are powerful singers, capable of fine solo vocals and perfectly matched harmonies. There are old favorites like "Goodnight Irene" and "Pastures of Plenty," and heartfelt commemorations of heroes like {%Stephen Biko} in "Biko" and "Harriet Tubman." This political tone also includes direct comment on disarmament ("Family Promises"), racism ("No More Genocide"), and homophobia ("Singing for Our Lives"). The piano dominates the production, adding a theatrical air to these purposeful folk songs. For those familiar with the first album, the addition will be warmly welcomed; for others, feminists, liberals, and folk music lovers, Lifeline Extended offers a good introduction to the work of Near and Gilbert. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford Jr., All Music Guide
Show more
Show less

Tom Paxton reunites with one-time collaborator Anne Hills for this album of largely political folk, which includes such evergreens as "Carry It On," "Birmingham Sunday" (about the racially motivated 1963 church bombing), "God Bless the Grass," and Paxton's own "Clarissa Jones." Also on the program are a few later...

Tom Paxton reunites with one-time collaborator Anne Hills for this album of largely political folk, which includes such evergreens as "Carry It On," "Birmingham Sunday" (about the racially motivated 1963 church bombing), "God Bless the Grass," and Paxton's own "Clarissa Jones." Also on the program are a few later compositions, most notably Tom Russell's "Manzanar," about the treatment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, and the title cut,...Tom Paxton reunites with one-time collaborator Anne Hills for this album of largely political folk, which includes such evergreens as "Carry It On," "Birmingham Sunday" (about the racially motivated 1963 church bombing), "God Bless the Grass," and Paxton's own "Clarissa Jones." Also on the program are a few later compositions, most notably Tom Russell's "Manzanar," about the treatment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, and the title cut, a comment on the death penalty that represents the album's only songwriting collaboration by Paxton and Hills. The singing is impeccable and the songs are first-rate, but the performances are mostly so faithful to the originals that they don't add much. In addition, while the social commentary is balanced by an occasional love song, it would have helped to also sprinkle in some of the humor that Paxton employs so well on his solo albums; as is, this is pretty consistently somber stuff. Still, Paxton and Hills deserve plaudits for helping to keep the political folk genre alive; it's too bad that more writers aren't addressing the sorts of issues tackled here. ~ Jeff Burger, All Music Guide
Show more
Show less